The invention relates to an optoelectronic arrangement including components that are integrated on a semiconductor substrate.
It is known from the publication Phys. Bl. 44 (1988), pages 91-97, to produce circuit arrangements for optical data transmission in a monolithically integrated manner. For example, a semiconductor laser and a photodiode and its associated monitor circuit composed of field effect transistors are epitaxially produced on a semiconductor substrate.
However, optical components employed as polarizers, modulators, optical switches must be arranged in a hybrid manner, for example alongside the semiconductor substrate. Moreover, lithium niobate or potassium titanyl phosphate crystals suitable for this purpose require much space.
Polymer plastics which have non-linear optical characteristics and could take the place of the known optical components are known from Br. Telecom. Technol. J. 6 (1988), pages 5-17. Such plastics are either derivatives of nitrobenzene, which is liquid at the normal ambient temperature, or they originate from the family of polydiacetylene. The decisive factor for the generation of these optical characteristics is that single and double bonds between the carbon atoms occur alternatingly.
Such a plastic reacts to the electric field E of electromagnetic radiation with a dielectric polarization P which can be expressed as an exponential series of the electric field E: EQU P=.epsilon..sub.0 (.chi..sup.(1) E+.chi..sup.(2) E.sup.2 +.chi..sup.(3) E.sup.3...)
where .epsilon..sub.0 is the dielectric constant and .chi..sup.(i) the susceptibility of the i.sup.th order. The susceptibility of the first order, .chi..sup.(1), produces effects which can be observed already at low intensities of the E field. It is the origin of the refractive index and the absorption of the material.
The non-linear characteristics, however, result from the higher order susceptibilities, .chi..sup.(2), .chi..sup.(3), ....
Due to susceptibility .chi..sup.(2), polymer plastics exhibit a refractive index which is a function of the square of the electric or magnetic field, that is, the Pockels effect or the Faraday effect, respectively.
This results in the generation of harmonics at double the frequency, the mixing of frequencies and the parametric amplification of one frequency at the expense of another frequency.
However, this article does not reveal within which frame polymer plastics can be employed for optical data transmission.